ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 4: People attend a U.S. Soccer Communications Clinic at Mercedes Benz Stadium on April 4, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Adam Hagy/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Getty Images for USSF

At first glance, travel soccer looks like a pathway to excellence: Better coaching, more competition and exposure to college scouts. What parent wouldn’t want that for their child?

But travel soccer in the United States over the last two decades — from ages nine to 18 — has become less about developing players and more about sustaining an expensive system that often works against the very kids it claims to serve.

In fact, beneath the surface, the structure is riddled with incentives that prioritize volume over quality, early success over long-term growth and financial commitment over real potential.

In 2023, former U.S. star Eric Wynalda, writing in The Guardian, observed the following:

“People don’t want to hear the reasons why, because they’re totally counterproductive to the industry we’ve created. But here’s the first one: There are too many kids playing soccer.

Let me rephrase that. It’s wonderful that kids are playing the beautiful game, no doubt. But there are too many parents paying thousands of dollars for their kids to play alongside truly great players. That’s not helping our best ones (and it doesn’t help the average ones, who are outclassed in every game they play). Our best players need to be playing with and against each other, not alongside a bunch of kids who effectively act as training cones.

“The boutique club programs they’re meant to play in aren’t helping either. A while back, the U.S. Soccer Federation deemphasized high school soccer in order to prioritize club soccer. That was a mistake. Our best young players now have no idea what pressure is — they play their biggest games in front of a few parents in lawn chairs rather than in a buzzing high school stadium, where pride and a sense of occasion are on the line — as are your opponent’s fans, who are yelling at you for 90 minutes.”

It was a mistake. High school soccer can be a wonderful experience — albeit a short one given that it’s a fall sport and the season runs from just August to November. It’s also why organizations such as the American Youth Soccer Organization, which was created in 1964 has provided a chance to play recreationally for children ages four through 19 for decades. Some of the greatest U.S. stars — such as Landon Donovan and Julie Foudy — played in AYSO.

The biggest problem is the cost. Families can spend $2,000 to $5,0000 a year on team fees, travel, hotels and tournaments. This creates a pay-to-play system that excludes a massive talent pool. In a country as large and diverse as the United States, limiting access based on family income isn’t just unfair, but self-defeating. Some of the best potential players never even enter the system.

Then there’s the issue of overtraining and too many matches. Travel teams often play multiple games in a weekend, travel across states for tournaments and train year-round with little rest. Other American sports employ the same system — like baseball and basketball — but those sports aren’t trying to create players that will someday compete at an international tournament like the FIFA World Cup.

As a result, young athletes are pushed into a pro-style schedules before their bodies and minds are ready. Instead of developing creativity and a love for the game, many players burn out by their mid-teens. Others suffer injuries from repetitive strain and lack of recovery.

Equally damaging is the emphasis on winning at young ages. Coaches, whose reputations and job security depends on results, tend to favor early-maturing players who can dominate physically. This leads to a selection bias that sidelines late bloomers— the type of players who might ultimately have higher ceilings but need time to develop.

The style of play also suffers. Since teams are put together for short-term competition rather than long-term cohesion, there’s little incentive to teach players anything that resembles soccer. Direct, physical games can win tournaments so that’s what gets reinforced.

“America’s elite youth soccer system has been problematic for a while,” Wynalda said. “When the U.S. Soccer Federation disbanded its Development Academy in 2020, one of the main criticisms about the setup came from referees: They complained that club games weren’t competitive enough! These manufactured games inevitably featured coaches telling players not to make any mistakes, and to focus solely on possession.”

The packed schedule, meanwhile, limits meaningful development. Playing three or four games in a weekend leaves little time for reflection or instruction. Development happens in training, not in a blur of weekend results.

None of this is to say that all travel soccer is inherently bad. There are dedicated coaches and well-run clubs that genuinely prioritize development. However, they operate within a larger ecosystem that rewards the opposite. Youth soccer in countries such as Spain and France focus on skills, not results. It has resulted in World Cups for both countries in recent decades.

Donovan criticized the U.S. approach recently, saying, “We have to educate the parents, so parents understand that their child doesn’t need to win a game at eight years old. The child needs to be developing and having fun.”

He added: “Our parents, unfortunately, get obsessed with winning just as much as the coaches do because they’ve been told that’s what’s going to get their child to college and professional and it’s all BS.”

If the goal is to produce better players — not just more teams and tournaments — then the system needs to change. Less travel and more training is needed. Lower costs and broader access is also needed. And fewer matches and higher quality games are needed.

Until then, travel soccer in the U.S. will continue to undermine the very development it so promises.

Clemente Lisi is the author of “The World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition."